Randall Parrish - "My Lady of the North"

Georges Ohnet - "Serge Panine, v3"

John Lothrop Motley - "The Life of John of Barneveld, 1609 10"

T.S. Arthur - "The Lights and Shadows of Real Life"

New Philadelphia Book Publisher Highlights Local Talent
Book and Publishing News from Publishers Newswire(tm)

Looking for Child to be on Cover of a New Book, 'The Model Child'
PHILADELPHIA, Pa. -- The Philadelphia literary world will celebrate the launch of two new players today, April 10th: Kay Square Press, a new publishing company focused on Philadelphia-area artists, their stories, and their art; and Kay Square's first release, 'With the Rich and Mighty: Emlen Etting of Philadelphia' (ISBN: 978-0-9815129-0-7), a critical biography by Kenneth C. Kaleta.

FlatSigned Press Alleges Don Imus Remarks Damage Legacy of President Gerald R. Ford
NEW YORK, N.Y. -- Nathan Yungerberg, an accomplished model scout and professional child photographer is launching a nation-wide casting call to find the cover model for his highly anticipated book release, 'The Model Child: A Parents Guide to the Child Modeling Industry' (ISBN: 978-0-9817018-0-6).

Books: The Works of John Bunyan Volume 3

J >> John Bunyan >> The Works of John Bunyan Volume 3




***

THE HEAVENLY FOOTMAN; OR, A DESCRIPTION OF THE MAN THAT GETS TO
HEAVEN:

TOGETHER WITH THE WAY HE RUNS IN, THE MARKS HE GOES BY; ALSO, SOME
DIRECTIONS HOW TO RUN SO AS TO OBTAIN.

'And it came to pass, when they had brought them forth abroad,
that he said, Escape for thy life; look not behind thee, neither
stay thou in all the plain: escape to the mountain, lest thou be
consumed.'--Genesis 19:17.

London: Printed for John Marshall, at the Bible in Gracechurch
Street, 1698.

ADVERTISEMENT BY THE EDITOR.

About forty years ago a gentleman, in whose company I had commenced
my pilgrimage, and who had joined me in communion with a Baptist
church, about four years previously, came to my house one Monday
morning, greatly delighted with the sermon which our pastor had
preached on the previous day, while I was engaged in superintending
the Sunday school. It had caused a very remarkable sensation, which,
if properly followed up, bid fair to occasion an extraordinary
revival of religion in the neighbourhood. He, with the deacons,
had begged of our minister to fill up his outline, and prepare
the sermon for publication, to which he had consented. He wished
to ascertain from me, as a publisher, the expense of printing
five thousand copies, being sure that the sale of it would be
unprecedented, not only throughout the kingdom, but as far as
the English language was spoken. In about a week, the copy fairly
written was left with me. The text was Hebrews 12:1, 'Let us run
with patience the race that is set before us.' After the introduction
that all men desire heaven, but all do not run for it--the word
run was explained as a flying, pressing, persevering. Then seven
reasons, and nine directions, were followed by nine motives and
nine uses. This, and the striking ideas and language of the sermon,
brought Bunyan to my recollection, and, on comparison, it proved
to be the Heavenly Footman, with very slight alterations. Having
then very recently purchased a neat edition of the book, at a very
low price, my inquiry was, whether they would not prefer having
the book in its genuine state, especially as it was ready for
delivery. I need not add, that all thoughts of circulating the
sermon was at once abandoned. In conversation with my excellent
pastor, who afterwards for many years bore the honour of a D.D.,
he acknowledge his obligation to me for detecting the plagiarism
before the sermon was published, and explained to me that, when
very young, he had read Bunyan's Heavenly Footman with intense
interest, and made a full analysis of it, in the shape of notes,
which, having committed to memory, he preached to a very delighted
and deeply impressed congregation; that after a lapse of many
years, looking over the outlines of his early sermons, he was
struck with it, and believing it to be his own composition, had
again used it with such extraordinary success, as led his deacons
and members to request him to print it. Doubtless Bunyan being
dead has often similarly spoken--may his voice never be lost in
silence or be forgotten.

The title of 'Heavenly Footman' was probably suggested by the words
of the prophet Jeremiah, 'If thou hast run with the footmen, and
they have wearied thee, then how canst thou contend with horses?
And in the land of peace thou trustedst, then how wilt thou do
in the swelling of Jordan?' (12:5), and 'Let us run with patience
the race that is set before us' (Heb 12:1). The word footman does
not refer to that class of servants who are badged and dressed in
livery to gratify the pride of their masters, nor to that description
of foot-soldiers or infantry, whose business is designated by the
blood-stained colour of their clothes. But it refers to those who
are travelling on foot to a distant country, engaged on a pilgrimage
from earth to heaven. It is worthy of remark, that the whole of
the children of God, of every age and clime, class and kindred,
the richest and the poorest, all are upon terms of perfect equality
in running the race set before them. No wealth, nor grade, can
procure a horse to carry them, or a carriage to ride in; all must
run on foot. The only carriage for the foot-sore, weary pilgrim
is the bosom of Christ; he carries the lambs in his bosom, and
there is room enough for all; the poorest labourer and the noblest
aristocrat meet there upon a level with each other; there is no
first class for the rich, and parliamentary train for the poor.
It is all first class. In the varied adventures of Christian and
his associates, and of Christiana, her children, and her lovely
friend Mercy, they never ride. The little one is led by the hand
up the steep and rough hill Difficulty, but his own feet carry him
throughout the wearisome road. The only carriage was the fiery
chariot which carried the soul of the martyred Faithful to the
Celestial City; there is no riding to heaven while in the body.
Wealth may procure many pleasures to clog the soul in its journey.
It may purchase indulgencies; it may incline some disciples to look
at sinful imperfections through the wrong end of the telescope;
it may purchase prayers--but devotional exercises, bought by gold,
will freeze the soul. It is the poor disciple that receives the
faithful admonitions of his equally poor fellow-saints. The rich
have more ceremony, while the labourer enjoys more richly, more
free from restraint, the warm outpourings of a devotional spirit.
Still there is nothing to prevent the greatest nobleman or monarch
from running to heaven in company with the disciples of our lowly
Master. If he refuses this road and this company, he must pursue
his downward course to destruction.

The order in which the allegorical works of Bunyan were written,
very naturally suggest itself from his own narratives, and from
the dates of their publication. It was thus, while suffering his
tedious and dangerous imprisonment for Christ's sake, he was led
to write an account of the dealings of God with his soul, which
work he published in 1666, under the title of Grace Abounding to
the Chief of Sinners. While engaged in writing this remarkable
narrative, the almost unbounded allegorical powers of his mind
were brought into exercise--


'And thus it was: I writing of the way
And race of saints, in this our gospel-day,
Fell suddenly into an allegory
About their journey, and the way to glory.'


Having finished his Grace Abounding, he allowed his fertile imagination
its full scope, and again wrote the result of his experience in
the form of an allegorical narrative, called the Pilgrim's Progress
from this World to that which is to Come. At first the thoughts
pressed upon him as fast as he could write them, yet he says--


'I did not think
To show to all the world my pen and ink
In such a mode.'


And it was several years before he ventured to publish his beautiful
allegory. He was released from prison in 1672, having been chosen
in the previous year to be the pastor, or ministering elder of the
church at Bedford. His time was then much occupied in re-organizing
the church, after years of tempest and fiery persecution. At length,
having overcome his own and his friends' reluctance to publish so
solemn a work on the conversion of a sinner and his way to heaven,
in the form of an allegory, the Pilgrim's Progress was printed in
1678. The wonderful popularity of this book, and the great good
it produced, led him again to turn his Grace Abounding into a
different form of narrative, in the more profound allegory of the
Holy War; this was published in 1682, and in two years afterwards
he completed the Pilgrim by a delightful second part. His long
incarceration, followed by sudden and great activity, probably
brought down his robust constitution; and as the end of his course
drew nigh, he was doubly diligent, for in 1688, before his death-day,
which was in August, he published six important treatises, and
had prepared fourteen or fifteen others for the press. Among these
were his final and almost dying instructions to the pilgrim, under
the title of The Heavenly Footman, the man whom he describes in
the poetical apology to the Pilgrim's Progress, as he that


'Runs and runs,
Till he unto the gate of glory comes.'


This treatise sheds a lustre over the latter days of our immortal
allegorist. It is evidently the production of a mind expanded and
chastened with the rich experience of sanctified age. In it we
are reminded of those important directions to heavenly footmen,
contained in his most admired books. Is there a Slough of Despond
to be passed, and a hill Difficulty to be overcome? Here the footman
is reminded of 'many a dirty step, many a high hill, a long and
tedious journey through a vast howling wilderness'; but he is
encouraged, 'the land of promise is at the end of the way.' Must
the man that would win eternal glory draw his sword, put on his
helmet, and fight his way into the temple--the heavenly footman
must press, crowd, and thrust through all that stand between heaven
and his soul. Did Ignorance, who perished from the way, say to
the pilgrims, 'You go so fast, I must stay awhile behind?' He who
runs to heaven is told that the heavy-heeled, lazy, wanton, and
foolish professor will not attain the prize. The wicket-gate,
at the head of the way, is all-important; none can get to heaven
unless they enter by Christ, the door and way, so the footman is
reminded that it matters not how fast he runs, he can never attain
the prize, if he is in the wrong road. Did the pilgrims so severely
suffer from entering upon Byepath-meadow, and even after that
bitter experience were they again misled into a bye path, by a
black man clothed in white raiment? Our footman is warned--Beware
then of bye and crooked paths that lead to death and damnation; the
way to heaven is one, still there are many well-beaten bye paths
that butt or shoot down upon it, and which lead to destruction.
To prevent vain and foolish company from calling you out of the
path, or from loitering in it, say, I am in haste, I am running
for a prize; if I win I am made, I win ALL; if I lose I lose all,
and am undone. So it was with Faithful when even Christian, who
saw him before, cried Ho ho, so ho. Faithful answered, 'No, I
am upon my life, the avenger of blood is behind me.' In the same
way the pilgrims refused the invitations of Demas with his silver
mine. No, says the heavenly footman, I am running for heaven, for
my soul, for God, for Christ, from hell and everlasting damnation.
Did the poor pilgrims go grunting, puffing, and sighing, one
tumbleth over a bush, another sticks fast in the dirt, one cries
out, I am down, and another, Ho! where are you? Pilgrim's Progress.
So the footman is told that he will 'meet with cross, pain, and
wearisomeness to the flesh, with briars and quagmires, and other
encumbrances,' through all which he must persevere. Did Formalist
and Hypocrite turn off into bye ways at the foot of the hill
Difficulty, and miserably perish? Did Mistrust and Timorous run
back for fear of the persecuting lions, Church and State? So the
man that runs for heaven is cautioned--'Some when they come at
the cross can go no further, but back again to their sins they
go, stumble and break their necks, or turn aside to the left or
to the right, and perish.' Be not ready to halt, nor run hobbling
and halting, but, like my Lord Will-be-will in the Holy War, when
fighting against Diabolus, get thy will tipt with heavenly grace,
and go full speed for heaven. These quotations tend to prove that
this invaluable treatise is a summary of the guide books which Bunyan
had before written. It was doubtless one of the last productions
of his prolific pen.

Two passages in the Heavenly Footman appear to favour the idea,
that a period in life is, in some cases, fixed, beyond which there
is no repentance; thus in a solemn warning against procrastination
he says, 'Dost thou know whether the day of grace will last a
week longer or no? For the day of grace is past with some before
their life is ended'; and 'sometimes sinners have not heaven gates
open to them so long as they suppose; and if they be once shut
against a man, they are so heavy that all the men in the world,
nor all the angels in heaven, can open them. Francis Spira can
tell thee what it is to stay till the gate of mercy be quite shut.'
It becomes an interesting inquiry as to who Bunyan means by the
'some' of whom he says, 'that the day of grace is past before
their life is ended.' This cannot refer to those who, neglecting
the Saviour, are in a perishing condition. No minister felt a
more ardent desire to rouse them to a sense of their danger and
to guard them against despair than John Bunyan. In his Jerusalem
Sinner Saved he thus argues 'Why despair? thou art yet in the
land of the living.' 'It is a sin to begin to despair before one
sets his foot over the threshold of hell gates.' 'What, despair
of bread in a land that is full of corn? Despair of mercy when
our God is full of mercy, thou scrupulous fool; despair when we
have a redeeming Christ alive. Let them despair that dwell where
there is no God, and that are confined to those chambers of death
which can be reached by no redemption.' In Bunyan's Come and
Welcome, he proves that it would be 'high blasphemy and damnable
wickedness' to imagine that Christ would cast out any that come to
God by him. He cannot mean the backslider, for Bunyan was such.
David also, to an awful extent, and Peter to the denial of his
Lord. No, he may mean those who, while neglecting the Saviour, are
overtaken by madness, or more probably to such as Judas, Spira, and
others who sell their Master, or renounce him. If a man abandons
the Saviour, there is no other name under heaven whereby he can
be saved; 'there remaineth no more sacrifice for sin'; he is a
despiser of God's way of salvation, and tramples under foot the
Son of God. While such a career continues, fiery indignation must
be his wretched destiny. They who contemn the heavenly gift--the
Holy Ghost--the word of God--the powers of the world to come--if
they persevere unto death in such sentiments, the day of grace
is past. There have been some who, like Esau, having sold their
birthright, sought repentance even with tears, but found it not--they
sought it not in God's appointed way. All hope depends upon such
sinners coming unto Christ, humbled and broken-hearted. He is
willing, He is able to save even then to the uttermost, but they
will not. He has promised, and will perform his word, 'him that
cometh to me I will in nowise cast out.' The volume of inspiration
is crowned at its close with the same cheering encouragement, 'And
the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that is athirst
come. And WHOSOEVER WILL, let him take the water of life freely.'
I cannot imagine that any man would have sung with greater pleasure
than Bunyan that hymn of Dr. Watts'--


'Life is the time to serve the Lord,
The time to insure the great reward;
And while the lamp holds out to burn,
The vilest sinner may return.'


They only who reject the counsel and mercy of God, shut heaven's
gates against their own souls, and rush upon Jehovah's buckler
like Judas, or Spira, or like one of Bunyan's early friends, John
Childs, who apostatized for fear of persecution, and perished by
his own hand. To such only the day of grace is past; they have set
themselves in the scorner's seat, from which they will be hurled
into unutterable wretchedness.

Bunyan well knew that idleness engenders poverty and crime, and
is the parent of every evil; and he exhorts his runner to the
greatest diligence, not to 'fool away his soul' in slothfulness,
which induces carelessness, until the sinner is remediless. Our
first care is to get into the right way, and then so to run that
'the devil, who is light of foot,' may not overtake and trip us
up. Running to heaven does not prevent the true, the real enjoyment
of earthly blessings, but sanctifies and heightens them. The great
impetus in our course is love to the prize--to Christ, to heaven;
'having our affections set upon things above.' Looking unto Jesus.
His righteousness imputed unto us by the shedding of his blood,
marks all the road, and while we keep that in sight we cannot err.
In all earthly things we anticipate too much--but in the glories
of heaven, our anticipations are feeble indeed, compared with
eternal realities. Could the saints in glory impart to us a sense
of their indescribable happiness, with what activity and perseverance
we should run. The case of Lot, when flying from destruction, is
put by Bunyan with peculiar force--he dared not to look back even
to see what had become of his wife, lest death should overtake
his own soul. O, my reader, may we be stimulated so to run as to
obtain that crown of glory which is imperishable, immortal, and
eternal.

Charles Doe, one of Bunyan's personal friends, having purchased
the copyright of this work, kept it for some years, in hope
of publishing it with other treatises, as a second folio volume,
to complete his works; but failing in this object, he printed it
separately in 1698, and appended an interesting list of Bunyan's
works, with thirty cogent reasons why these invaluable labours
should be preserved and handed down, to bless succeeding ages.

An earnest desire to preserve, in their perfect integrity, all
the treatises as they were originally published, will induce me,
at the end of the works, to reprint those interesting additions.

GEO. OFFOR.



AN EPISTLE TO ALL THE SLOTHFUL AND CARELESS PEOPLE.

Friends,

Solomon saith, that 'The desire of the slothful killeth him'; and
if so, what will slothfulness itself do to those that entertain
it? (Prov 21:25). The proverb is, 'He that sleepeth in harvest is
a son that causeth shame' (Prov 10:5). And this I dare be bold to
say, no greater shame can befall a man, than to see that he hath
fooled away his soul, and sinned away eternal life. And I am sure
this is the next way to do it; namely, to be slothful; slothful,
I say, in the work of salvation. The vineyard of the slothful man,
in reference to the things of this life, is not fuller of briars,
nettles, and stinking weeds, than he that is slothful for heaven,
hath his heart full of heart-choaking and soul-damning sin.

Slothfulness hath these two evils: First, To neglect the time in
which it should be getting of heaven; and by that means doth, in
the Second place, bring in untimely repentance. I will warrant you,
that he who shall lose his soul in this world through slothfulness,
will have no cause to be glad thereat when he comes to hell.

Slothfulness is usually accompanied with carelessness, and
carelessness is for the most part begotten by senselessness; and
senselessness doth again put fresh strength into slothfulness,
and by this means the soul is left remediless.

Slothfulness shutteth out Christ; slothfulness shameth the soul
(Cant 5:2-4; Prov 13:4).

Slothfulness, it is condemned even by the feeblest of all the
creatures. 'Go to the ant, thou sluggard, consider her ways and
be wise (Prov 6:6). The sluggard will not plow by reason of the
cold' (20:4); that is, he will not break up the fallow ground
of his heart, because there must be some pains taken by him that
will do it; 'therefore shall he beg in harvest,' that is, when
the saints of God shall have their glorious heaven and happiness
given to them; but the sluggard shall 'have nothing,' that is, be
never the better for his crying for mercy, according to that in
Matthew 25:10-12.

If you would know a sluggard in the things of heaven, compare him
with one that is slothful in the things of this world. As, 1. He
that is slothful is loth to set about the work he should follow:
so is he that is slothful for heaven. 2. He that is slothful is
one that is willing to make delays: so is he that is slothful for
heaven. 3. He that is a sluggard, any small matter that cometh
in between, he will make it a sufficient excuse to keep him off
from plying his work: so it is also with him that is slothful for
heaven. 4. He that is slothful doth his work by the halves; and
so it is with him that is slothful for heaven. He may almost, but
he shall never altogether obtain perfection of deliverance from
hell; he may almost, but he shall never, without he mend, be
altogether a saint. 5. They that are slothful, do usually lose the
season in which things are to be done: and thus it is also with
them that are slothful for heaven, they miss the season of grace.
And therefore, 6. They that are slothful have seldom or never
good fruit: so also it will be with the soul-sluggard. 7. They that
are slothful they are chid for the same: so also will Christ deal
with those that are not active for him. Thou wicked or slothful
servant, out of thine own mouth will I judge thee; thou saidst
I was thus, and thus, wherefore then gavest not thou my money to
the bank? &c. (Luke 19:22). Take the unprofitable servant, and
cast him into utter darkness, where shall be weeping and gnashing
of teeth (Matt 25:26-30).

WHAT SHALL I SAY? Time runs; and will you be slothful? Much of your
lives are past; and will you be slothful? Your souls are worth a
thousand worlds; and will you be slothful? The day of death and
judgment is at the door; and will you be slothful? The curse of
God hangs over your heads; and will you be slothful? Besides, the
devils are earnest, laborious, and seek by all means every day, by
every sin, to keep you out of heaven, and hinder you of salvation;
and will you be slothful? Also your neighbours are diligent
for things that will perish; and will you be slothful for things
that will endure for ever? Would you be willing to be damned for
slothfulness? Would you be willing the angels of God should neglect
to fetch your souls away to heaven when you lie a-dying, and the
devils stand by ready to scramble for them?[1] Was Christ slothful
in the work of your redemption? Are his ministers slothful in
tendering this unto you? And, lastly, If all this will not move,
I tell you God will not be slothful or negligent to damn you--whose
damnation now of a long time slumbereth not--nor the devils will
not neglect to fetch thee, nor hell neglect to shut its mouth upon
thee.

Sluggard, art thou asleep still? art thou resolved to sleep the
sleep of death? Wilt neither tidings from heaven or hell awake
thee? Wilt thou say still, 'Yet a little sleep, a little slumber,'
and 'a little folding of the hands to sleep?' (Prov 6:10). Wilt
thou yet turn thyself in thy sloth, as the door is turned upon
the hinges? O that I was one that was skilful in lamentation, and
had but a yearning heart towards thee, how would I pity thee! How
would I bemoan thee! O that I could with Jeremiah let my eyes run
down with rivers of water for thee! Poor soul, lost soul, dying
soul, what a hard heart have I that I cannot mourn for thee! If
thou shouldst lose but a limb, a child, or a friend, it would not
be so much, but poor man it is THY SOUL; if it was to lie in hell
but for a day, but for a year, nay, ten thousand years, it would
(in comparison) be nothing. But O it is for ever! O this cutting
EVER! What a soul-amazing word will that be, which saith, 'Depart
from me, ye cursed, into EVERLASTING fire'! &c.[2]

Object. But if I should set in, and run as you would have me, then
I must run from all my friends; for none of them are running that
way.

Answ. And if thou dost, thou wilt run into the bosom of Christ
and of God, and then what harm will that do thee?

Object. But if I run this way, then I must run from all my sins.

Answ. That is true indeed; yet if thou dost not, thou wilt run
into hell-fire.

Object. But if I run this way, then I shall be hated, and lose
the love of my friends and relations, and of those that I expect
benefit from, or have reliance on, and I shall be mocked of all
my neighbours.

Answ. And if thou dost not, thou art sure to lose the love and
favour of God and Christ, the benefit of heaven and glory, and be
mocked of God for thy folly, 'I also will laugh at your calamity;
I will mock when your fear cometh'; and if thou wouldst not be hated
and mocked, then take heed thou by thy folly dost not procure the
displeasure and mockings of the great God; for his mocks and hatred
will be terrible, because they will fall upon thee in terrible
times, even when tribulation and anguish taketh hold on thee;
which will be when death and judgment comes, when all the men in
the earth, and all the angels in heaven, cannot help thee (Prov
1:26-28).

Object. But surely I may begin this time enough, a year or two
hence, may I not?

Answ. 1. Hast thou any lease of thy life? Did ever God tell thee
thou shalt live half a year, or two months longer? nay, it may
be thou mayst not live so long. And therefore, 2. Wilt thou be so
sottish and unwise, as to venture thy soul upon a little uncertain
time? 3. Dost thou know whether the day of grace will last a week
longer or no? For the day of grace is past with some before their
life is ended: and if it should be so with thee, wouldst thou not
say, O that I had begun to run before the day of grace had been
past, and the gates of heaven shut against me. But, 4. If thou
shouldst see any of thy neighbours neglect the making sure of
either house or land to themselves, if they had it proffered to
them, saying, Time enough hereafter, when the time is uncertain;
and besides, they do not know whether ever it will be proffered to
them again, or no: I say, Wouldst thou not then call them fools?
And if so, then dost thou think that thou art a wise man to let
thy immortal soul hang over hell by a thread of uncertain time,
which may soon be cut asunder by death?